While Alameda has a pretty nice beach on its Bay side (though with waves best measured in inches rather than feet), I haven't really been checking for interesting cars parked along the shoreline. That's because the section of the island near the San Francisco Bay is mostly landfill dating from the 1950s, which means the residents in the area tend to have garages for their collectible rides. However, you still see the occasional work truck parked in front of one of the big Polynesian-themed apartment buildings along the shore, and thus I was able to shoot this 40-year-old 3/4-ton survivor.

As you can see, Alameda is quite close to downtown San Francisco; as the crow flies, it's about five miles away. If you're not a crow and decide to drive your truck over there, however, it feels like about 100 hellish bumper-to-bumper miles. Fortunately, there's a ferry from Alameda to SF, and they sell beer on board.

In '68, you shelled out $2,541 for a base GMC 2500 pickup, versus $2,547 for the Chevy equivalent. Either way, the standard engine was the tough 250-inch inline six, with the 292 six and a variety of small- and big-block V8s available for those with extra bucks. I'm thinking the 292 with three-on-the-tree sounds like a good setup.

Even if gas prices hit 10 bucks, there will still be a place for simple, reliable pickups like this one. Houses will still need to be built and landscaping gear will still need to be hauled.

Say, how about a poll to start the week? We've seen quite a few pickups from GMC and Chevrolet in this series, and we want to know which one is the crowd favorite. Will the mid-60s trucks split the vote? Will the '71 Chevy with the rare "double cab" option take the win? Vote, and vote some more!

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